Sneak peak preview: new Hyundai Sonata
Image of new Hyundai Sonata surfaces to the web. Gives a sneak peak preview at the upcoming Sonata / i40 sedan.
The fellows over at YFlove.net have published an image that gives us a sneak peak preview at the new Sonata. The 2010 Hyundai Sonata is expected to be officially unveiled in Korea in about three months with official sales expected to commence by the end of September.
The all-new Sonata will be completely redesigned and will radically deviate from the current Sonata design. The model will be available as a sporty sedan and for the first time, as a wagon. The Sonata wagon will first go on sale in Europe, where mid-sized wagons have been gaining on popularity and taking away market share from their four-door sibling models.
The 2010 Sonata will incorporate Hyundais latest powertrain technologies, including a R-series diesel engines ranging from 2.0L to 2.2L. Both diesel engines feature the latest, third generation direct injection technology and offer class leading performance and fuel consumption ratings.
For the first time, Hyundai will equip Sonata with the brand-new 6-speed automatic transmission, which Hyundai has co-developed with its sister firm Kia Motors. The new auto tranny is expected to be applied to other Hyundai vehicles such as upcoming Hyundai Tucson and next generation Hyundai Azera.
The all-new Hyundai Sonata will also feature Hyundais hybrid powertrain consisting of Hyundai Theta II gasoline engine and electric motor. The hybrid system, which has been first previewed at last years L.A. Auto Show, will find its way into production in late 2011. Hyundai Sonata hybrid will be the second mass produced hybrid car from Hyundai after Hyundai Elantra LPi, which is going on sale in South Korea next month.
Hyundai Motor Company plans to release the new Sonata sedan in North American and European showrooms in February of 2010. In Europe, Sonata will adopt Hyundais latest naming scheme and will be named the i40, while its wagon variant will carry the i40 CW (Cross Wagon) nomenclature. [Photosource: YFlove]
UPDATE: New images of the 2010 Hyundai Sonata bow to the web…
June 29th, 2009 at 5:50 pm
Is it me or does the grill resemble a Toyota Camry grill? I sure hope not!
June 29th, 2009 at 6:53 pm
That’s actually a lot less “tinny” than I thought it’d be.
June 29th, 2009 at 7:03 pm
Toyota called…
June 29th, 2009 at 7:04 pm
Looks like a gen coupe, with a grill jacked from toyota
June 29th, 2009 at 7:06 pm
And those headlights look better than some of the renderings I’ve seen, too.
June 29th, 2009 at 7:15 pm
It would probably look a hell of alot better if there was actually something behind the grill..and they used the actual lights…assuming that the actual like will be transparent
June 29th, 2009 at 7:19 pm
btw…i thought the azera was being discontinued…correct me if im wrong
June 29th, 2009 at 7:39 pm
Don’t worry, the grille looks far better than that of Camry. I think we all will be surprised by the sharp looks of new Sonata.
June 29th, 2009 at 9:08 pm
Azera is NOT being discontinued. 2nd generation Azera is being working on.
June 30th, 2009 at 1:46 am
Awesome, this is going to be a sporty car! Like the Mazda makeovers, this looks like a car that will appeal to a number of different people. And it looks like it’s going to be less conservative than the last generation Sonata. Nice…
June 30th, 2009 at 1:48 am
The Grille does look Camry-ish… but the wrap around lights look like it distingushes that though John. Admin… what IS the deal with the Azera?
June 30th, 2009 at 2:12 am
The final product should be greater than the sum of the parts.. I’m feelin it..
June 30th, 2009 at 2:36 am
This new Sonata is going to blow away the Accord and Camery on styling and engineering. I really want the wagon to come to the U.S. market.
June 30th, 2009 at 2:36 am
This new Sonata is going to blow away the Accord and Camery on styling and engineering. I really want the wagon to come to the U.S. market.
June 30th, 2009 at 3:40 am
Man, the Specs on the V6 are sweet. It will have more Horesepower, and gas mileage than a Lexus ES.
June 30th, 2009 at 4:28 am
Yes. The wagon would be nice. They are coming back again.
June 30th, 2009 at 5:00 am
If the wagon looks like the Genus concept I’m all for it!
June 30th, 2009 at 5:18 am
Either that or the HED-5 Concept.
June 30th, 2009 at 4:40 pm
The deal with new Azera is that it’s being worked on. Styling will be more daring and youthful. The current Azera didn’t market/connect well with U.S. consumers (according to Hyundai themselves) so they’re going to give it another try.
Release date is anyones guess, but there will be a 2nd gen Azera.
June 30th, 2009 at 11:10 pm
Wow. If they thought the first Azera was bland, I can’t wait till the 2nd generation. I just hope they don’t over do it.
July 1st, 2009 at 4:37 pm
Hopefully, the new azera will not be a bigger sonata. Even though the new sonata looks to be coming along nicely
July 2nd, 2009 at 6:22 am
Well, they will have to really impress everyone with the new Azera or it will go the way of the Avalon…only old people are seen driving it because of it’s “Buick” like ride(even though Buick itself is eliminating it with the new Lacrosse).
July 2nd, 2009 at 12:39 pm
John Krafcik says that about the Accent and the Azera, SoundGallery. “They are the best cars I think in our line up, real undiscovered gems, but they dont connect well with US Consumers, becuase both cars were made with the tastes of what people in Seoul like to drive.” He personally drives the Accent and Azera a lot by the way. He wants to keep the things that matter about those cars, but wants to revamp it in order to connect.
Hyundai now is working on making cars purposely styled for the US market.
July 6th, 2009 at 1:02 am
pshh… if John Krafcik is the CEO of Hyundai America, i’m sure he makes alot of money. Why can’t he drive Genesis Prada or Equus?
July 6th, 2009 at 1:21 am
Jason he doesnt have to pay for the cars, hes the CEO. He does own a Genesis and an Equus and an Azera too. He drives the Accent to play around with it, and make real time suggestions on how it can be a premium car befitting Hyundais new Premium Image.
He sees the Accent as the Future, the way to get people into buying Hyundai cars. He says without a good Accent you might not have a future Genesis Buyer. He says the Accent must be as good as a Genesis, and still be affordable. He says hes the first CEO who takes the Accent seriously as well.
July 6th, 2009 at 1:24 am
Considering his background at Ford with Small Cars especially for Europe, I trust him.
August 2nd, 2009 at 4:18 am
Yes, your right Smoke…I read the article… John K. likes the Accent… My question is why doesn’t he upgade the sedan to accomodate the young professional who don’t want to drive a boat too. I was floored when I saw an Accent with roll down windows and wheel covers 3 cars over from a Genesis sedan… with Technology package. The CAN’T do that with the Equus if they sell it in the states.. The potential Equus buyers will walk off the lot for sure.
August 2nd, 2009 at 9:17 am
Yeah in Europe the i20 has power windows, partial leather seats, and alloys as standard EB. They are going to be forced to do that here with Equuses on the same lot. The Facelifted Rio is a good sign. They will be offering leather for the 2010 year, so the Accent will probably get the same.
August 2nd, 2009 at 9:20 am
I got the cheap Accent/w options, becuase Im waiting on a 5 door version, and I wanted to tune the car lightly. I want the next gen fully loaded. Im already saving for it.
August 2nd, 2009 at 9:42 am
The Accent is a good Tuner car due to its engine, Hyundai missed an opportunity there. The car is fine the way it is without those stupid body kits the more younger tuners have.
1. It just needs some nice rims with wheel adapters to make the wheels stick out 1/8-1/4 of an inch, or even wheel adapters with the standard steel wheels would look nice for the “rally” look.
2. HID lights to give it a nice blue lux look. (You must cut the highbeam wires and keep them cut to install any HID kits you can get from EBay or anywhere else thats not OEM, trust me take my advice guys. High beam=middle wire)
3. It also needs an interior garnishing kit with materials from wood grain to carbon fiber.
4. Window tint really brings the Accent out.
5. Short ram intake, you dont even have to buy a fancy intake just get a cone filter and use the intake hose supplied by Hyundai/KIA.
6. Nice cat back exhaust w/Silencer or 2.5-3 inch muffler outlet with a Tiburon style exhaust tip, or oval tipped exhaust.
Thats just a start, and all for less than $1500 if you shop for parts smarlty by using internet cources and going to wholesalers, etc….
If you want a turbo, there are turbo kits with price ranging from $800-$3000 out there on the market. I seen one turbo that claims 250 Flywheel HP for the 2006-2010 Accent.
August 17th, 2009 at 6:42 pm
I would not be terribly surprised if the Azera was discontinued after 2011 considering the introduction of the Genesis and now the Equus to the U.S. market.
That said, my dad just bought an ’09 Limited with Nav, and he’s been very happy with it. It might not be the most exciting car on the road, but it’s very competent for a mid-market near-luxury sedan like the Avalon and/or LaCrosse. Plenty of power, nice ride, lots of features. Not 100 percent my cup of tea, but when my dad was researching which car to buy and trade in his 2003 Chrysler 300, he said he wanted to stay right around $30k, and wanted decent power, good room, plenty of bells & whistles. If you look at it purely from a value standpoint, it’s a competitive car. Just not class-leading or earth-shattering in any single category, other than maybe price.